After enjoying breakfast and a conversation with
@Sequoia—the light frost on the ground prompted her to regale Druid with tales of her time in a pack called Frosthawks—the young she-wolf decided it was a fine day to make a trip to the coast. She knew she ought to take someone with her, perhaps even Sequoia herself. But Druid decided she would like to travel alone today.
She arrived near the seaboard in the middle of the afternoon, feeling at once invigorated and tired by her journey. As she approached Sapphique’s borders, Druid suddenly wished she’d brought one of her sisters with her. Rather than calling out for
@Mireille, as intended, she instead shrunk backward toward The Tangle.
mireille counted to herself.
she'd found a series of feathers from some downed bird; she had collected them. they were tall feathers, stiffened with salt and pale. gulls, perhaps.
but mireille chose to believe that some great white eagle had left them.
she hummed to herself as she stored the discoveries near the rendezvous. it was by pure sheer delightful luck that she too veered toward the tangle, looking for a particular sort of red briars. but it was druid she found, and for a moment she stood surprised. "you be comin' all dis way again?" she asked incredulously, though with no small amount of pleasure apparent on her crimson features.
She’d barely retreated when someone came along. Upon being discovered, Druid felt her heart leap at Mireille’s familiar face, even as the girl’s words registered. Perhaps because of her sudden apprehension, Druid immediately worried at the implication.
I didn’t mean to bother you,
she said quickly, or intrude…
Her gray tail gave a few tentative wags as she bowed her head. I was hoping to see you,
she admitted in the next breath, eyes shining imploringly as she peeked up at Mireille through lowered eyelashes.
mireille shook her head, an emphatic gesture. "you don't be bot'erin' me, druid." she felt pleasure float through her, that the rivenwood wolf had come specifically for her.
on a whim she chose to push her shoulders into the tangle. "come on. i will take you to de meadow." if her mothers could come upon her now, mireille felt she could successfully explain away why she was letting strangers into the territory.
druid was not a stranger to her.
Her head lifted a little when Mireille reassured her. Before Druid could reply, the fiery girl mentioned a meadow and began to move. Although she hesitated, it was only for a beat. She pressed in closer to Mireille, just a hairsbreadth away from touching as they walked along.
As much as she enjoyed her friend’s company, Druid wasn’t much of one for small talk. For several moments, she said nothing, instead paying close attention to their surroundings. She compared and contrasted what she saw and smelled to her own homeland, fascinated in equal measure by the similarities and differences.
You will have to come to Rivenwood one day,
she decided in a soft voice, attention returning to Mireille. We don’t have a sea, though we do have a lagoon. There’s streams too, lots of them, and all sorts of forests. And there’s a great tree in one corner, called The Giant.
Druid lapsed into silence, wondering what landmarks Mireille might show her, after the meadow.
"what be a lagoon?" she asked, laughing a little. druid's closeness delighted her.
the tangle soon spread out into bluepeace. in spring and summertime, azure flowers would come to life in profusion here. for now it was a wide patch of frosted grass with a tree clutching its center.
mireille bounded away, twirling beneath the open sky, and then returned breathless to her companion. "maman says in de sprin', we will hunt birds here."
the idea of going to rivenwood grounded her a little.
"maybe — maybe i can come back wid you dis time."
It’s kind of like a small sea,
Druid replied, without—what was it called?—the tide? There are no waves. The water is very calm and clear. I like to fish there.
Her face brightened even more than it already shone. Have I told you that I’m an apprentice fisher?
Now they’d reached a stretch of open grass, crisp with cold and frost. Druid paused to look around properly, admiring the scenery. Of course, her attention always drifted back to Mireille. The way she pranced reminded her of Witch. And the mention of birds made her think of Heda. Her gray tail switched.
You’d like to come home with me today?
Druid clarified, warmth in her chest. You’re welcome anytime, of course,
she made sure to say, to remove any doubt of such.
mireille shook her head. she could not truly conceive of still water. there was a body of it arcing through sapphique but her eyes had always been for the sea. "apprentice? who do you practice wid?" she had no reason to be jealous and yet she was, that druid was becoming someone far away from her.
"i'll ask then," she declared. the meadow was dwindling. the entry to the tunnel which led to the beach was becoming apparent against the rimed grass.
"what kind of fish do you be havin' in de lagoon?" she asked. she had been apprised of sharks and whales and dolphins, but did not mention them. what if she terrified druid?
Myself, mostly,
Druid replied with a small smile. Sometimes, my mama or my sisters watch. But it’s a bit boring and takes a lot of patience, so they don’t have much interest.
Bracelet had never minded staying with her while she endeavored to catch one of the elusive fish, though it pained her to think of the snake, so she pushed the thought aside.
Mireille wanted to know what kinds of fish inhabited the lagoon and Druid had to admit, I don’t know the different fish or their names. I’ve only caught a few.
Her catches had all appeared similar, though she’d seen enough fish swimming in the shallows to know there were different types. She simply didn’t know much beyond that. She would hopefully learn, in time, as she became more practiced.
Do you know much about fish? Maybe we can go fishing at the lagoon when you come back with me,
Druid proposed with a flourish of her tail.
boring.
it did not fit mireille's experience of the water. but maybe the lagoon was vastly different than this. the fragrances of stone and ice and evergreen on druid's pelt confirmed this.
she fought the urge to seek her companion's withers with her questing muzzle.
"not about a lot of fish. t'ere be a lot more den fish in de ocean. i know about de sea-stars. sea urchins. eels." she grinned. "some t'ings try to bite you back when you eat dem."
Mireille’s words immediately stirred a memory, now dim, of being bitten by a turtle. She chortled under her breath, then cocked her head and asked, There are stars in the sea?
Druid was curious about urchins and eels as well, though naturally she wondered how an object from the distant sky had made its way into the waters of the ocean.
Even as she looked curiously at her companion, she felt an overwhelming urge to yawn. Druid fought it, though it couldn’t be resisted long. She tucked her paw against her mouth and mumbled an apology against her toes, then gave her head a rousing shake.
druid yawned. mireille grinned. "stars fell from de sky an' some of dem live under de water now. five, maybe six arms. dey are sometimes big and sometimes small. but all of dem be tasty."
she chuckled and crouched closer to druid. "you can stay here. unless you be wantin' to get back now." she hoped not. there were lots of other things to show the rivenwood girl.
mireille was experiencing something for which she had no name.
I figured we could fade this in favor of our newer ones? :D
Druid peered at Mireille, wondering if there was any truth to this tale. She wondered: what did stars taste like? Well, her friend used the word “tasty.” Perhaps she could find out for herself someday.
The other girl noticed her stifled yawn.
No, I don’t want to leave,
Druid replied quickly,
but I would like to rest soon. Maybe I can spend the night here—or nearby, at least—and you can come home with me in the morning?
lets! <3
she nodded gleefully.
"we can sleep near de tangle," mireille stated. "come on!"
mireille would show druid several things, but eventually they would nestle together on a swatch of soft grass beneath the thorns to rest, the sound of the sea in their ears.